These bee-like humanoids appear in Monster Manual II (3E) p 22. Is this the first appearance of this race? Do they appear in any other products or in any specific setting? Has anyone used the Abeil in their campaigns?

There are bee cultists in the parody adventure WG7 Castle Greyhawk that might work well reinterpreted as abeil.

There are beefolk in the Lizard Kingdoms in Malhavoc Press's Beyond Countless Doorways. Rather than create a new monster, Wolfgang Baur recommended using giant bees and giving them an intelligence of 10 and a lawful neutral alignment.

The Pathfinder RPG introduced a similar race of humanoid bees called the thriae. "A race of female, beelike seers coveted for their powers of divination and prophecy." The Bestiary 3 included the thriae queen, thriae seer, and thriae soldier and the Bestiary 5 included the thriae constructor and thriae dancer.

Last edited by ripvanwormer on Sun Oct 30, 2016 3:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

HellcowKeith wrote:It’s also vital to recognize that the statement isn’t “If it’s in D&D, it’s in Eberron.” It’s “If it’s in D&D, it has a place in Eberron.” If you love abeil (bee people), there are many places you COULD put them. They could have a lost hive-city deep in Xen’drik. They could be a product of the Mourning, in which a Cyran city was transformed into an Abeil hive. They could be a new creation of Mordain the Fleshweaver. But if I don’t like abeil, I don’t have to use them at all. They aren’t IN Eberron; it’s simply easy for you to add them in if YOU want to. There’s a place for them in Eberron. This is the key to the statement that Eberron is a “kitchen sink.” It’s as much of a kitchen sink as you want it to be. I don’t use goliaths, genasi, illumians, chaos gnomes, etc. But if I wanted to, I could find a place for them.

ripvanwormer wrote:As far as I know, that's the first and only appearance of the abeil.

There are bee cultists in the parody adventure WG7 Castle Greyhawk that might work well reinterpreted as abeil.

There are beefolk in the Lizard Kingdoms in Malhavoc Press's Beyond Countless Doorways. Rather than create a new monster, Wolfgang Baur recommended using giant bees and giving them an intelligence of 10 and a lawful neutral alignment.

The Pathfinder RPG introduced a similar race of humanoid bees called the thriae. "A race of female, beelike seers coveted for their powers of divination and prophecy." The Bestiary 3 included the thriae queen, thriae seer, and thriae soldier and the Bestiary 5 included the thriae constructor and thriae dancer.

Thanks for the info and suggestions to how to incorporate them into different settings. It is interesting that this race only made the one appearance in D&D. So much material keeps being reused across editions. This also seems like a pretty standard fare race. Not really sure if I would use it for anything, but it seems like something I could easily drop into a campaign.

ripvanwormer wrote:Keith Baker listed some ideas for including abeils in Eberron here.

HellcowKeith wrote:It’s also vital to recognize that the statement isn’t “If it’s in D&D, it’s in Eberron.” It’s “If it’s in D&D, it has a place in Eberron.” If you love abeil (bee people), there are many places you COULD put them. They could have a lost hive-city deep in Xen’drik. They could be a product of the Mourning, in which a Cyran city was transformed into an Abeil hive. They could be a new creation of Mordain the Fleshweaver. But if I don’t like abeil, I don’t have to use them at all. They aren’t IN Eberron; it’s simply easy for you to add them in if YOU want to. There’s a place for them in Eberron. This is the key to the statement that Eberron is a “kitchen sink.” It’s as much of a kitchen sink as you want it to be. I don’t use goliaths, genasi, illumians, chaos gnomes, etc. But if I wanted to, I could find a place for them.

That's a nice addition. I like Keith Baker's interpretation of "has a place in Eberron". I guess that philosphy could be adapted to other settings as well.

Abeils have lived in a nearby valley for centuries, but recent agricultural innovations have made their population surge. They have begun to spread into human lands, their irrigation diverting precious water away from human farms. Humans have begun mustering for war.

A human noble has been losing status and territory to a rival, and in response has permitted abeils to settle on his land in exchange for treasure and pledges of military support. Suddenly the noble, bolstered by the abeils, is among the most powerful lords in the kingdom but humans are now feeling jealous of the abeils and marginalized in their own lands. They begin spreading a rumor that the abeils are plotting an insurrection against their human liege.

Worshipers of Bralm, goddess of insects and industry, have gained a boon from their divine patron. Royal jelly from an insectoid angel (or perhaps a gelugon devil) has transformed them into a new hybrid race: the abeils. As the new abeils begin to thrive, their human neighbors question whether they still deserve the rights and privileges accorded to humanity.

Human refugees and fortune-seekers have begun flooding abeil cities looking for new opportunities denied them in their own lands. This has catalyzed social change among the rigid abeils as humans introduce new creeds and gods and new economic systems and careers. Formally communists, abeils are now dealing with human bankers and street vendors, beggars and artists, writers and craftsmen and laborers operating independently from the decisions of the queen's politburo. Worse yet, young abeils have begun to imitate the humans rather than go through traditional channels, revering strange idols and questioning their obedience to the queen.

On another world, abeils are the dominant species. They are unsure what to make of the strange party of visitors from a world where bees are tiny insects instead of a proud and stately humanoid race, but some believe it might be better to make them quietly disappear before they can cause trouble. Others are curious about the party's origin and wish to explore it for themselves, particularly a young queen resistant to her lot in life and an ambitious royal counselor eager to learn of new territories ripe for the plucking.

For many generations, the queens of a thriae hive have chosen their consorts from among the vassal courts of the neighboring abeil cities, in exchange offering one of their seers to serve in the vassal courts of the abeil. Now a thriae queen has broken with tradition and chosen a consort from a human noble house, granting a seer to the human nobles instead. The abeils are enraged by this perceived betrayal; not only have they lost a valuable alliance and asset, but the human nobles are benefiting in their stead, giving them an advantage in the long rivalry between their species. Some have gone so far as to plot to assassinate the human consort.

Humans and abeils have been stanch allies for centuries, each balancing the other's strengths and weaknesses and providing a united front against their mutual enemies, the drow. Now a young abeil queen has gone missing, last seen with an equally young human playmate, and the alliance may collapse just when it is needed the most. Can the queen be found or, failing that, a new peace somehow negotiated?

Millennia ago, the abeils were banished to a demiplanar prison by human wizards. Now giant insects with phasing powers have been raiding the mortal world from the Ethereal Plane: does this mean the abeils have escaped, more powerful than ever, with giant phase bee mounts?